Motor-starting panel.



A. SMITH.

MOTOR STAR-TING PANEB. APPLICATION nun J'All.1'7;1907.

III l min mill" Fuqi.

WITNESSES V INVENTEIR I ARTHLJQEPH'TH.

PATENTED JUNE 16, 1970.8.

UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE. I ARTHU SMITH, or SGHENEGTADY, New YoRK, AssIeNoR TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY,

A CORPORATION or NEW YoRK.- I I MOTOR-STARTING PANEL.

tady,-county of Schenectady, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful 1 Im rovements in Motor-Starting Panels, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for controlling electric motor circuits, and has for its object the provision. of a device of this char-'- acter whereby the'niain armature circuit is automatically opened by means external to the controlling device itself.

My invention relates more specifically to controlling devices of the t pe used. in starting electric motors. In this type of apparatus, commonly known as starting rheostats, the controllin arm is ordinarily springressed to the oif-or starting position and is held in the on or runnin position by a no-voltage release magnet. I jpon failure of voltagp, the arm returns to the off position and t e main circuit is broken on the rheostatic contacts. This arrangement is objectionable in'manyinstances, as for instance in the larger starters where the current is heavy,

in which case the contacts are burned and must be replaced.

In carrying out my invention, I provide in connection with an ordinary starting rheostat having a spring-pressed controlling arm and a no-voltage release magnet, a circuitbreaker arranged to open the main circuit before the arm reaches the oif position. The circuit-breaker is preferably of the automatic type'and may be provided with overload magnetic features so as to open the circuit upon the occurrence of an overload.

In the accompanying drawing I have shown a starting panel equipped with my invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of thedevice; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same; and Fig, 3 is adiagram of the circuits.

Referrin to the drawin 10 is an insulating base 0 some materia such as slate or soapstone, provided with a series of contact segments 1 1 forming the terminals of starting resistance 12. The controlling arm 13 pivoted at 14 is adapted to engage these contacts so as to cut out starting resistance in starting up the motor. The armis normally in starting position against the stop 15 and as it is moved to the ri ht, starting resistance is cut out until it reac es the no-voltage magnet 16 Bpecification of Letters Patent. Application filed January 17, 1907. Serial No. 352,737.

1i lustration.

Patented. as... 1c, 1908.

at which point it is held, the resistance being short-circuited.

Mounted u on the base 10 in proximity to the rheostat 1s a circuit-breaker or switch. This circuit-breaker may be of any well known construction, and is referably of the, automatic magnetic type. have illustrated a specific form of circuit breaker in which there are two independently operated arms 17 and 18 having. operating handles 19 and 20, respectively. Each arm is spring-pressed to the open position by a Sgi'lllg 21,. and closes the main circuit 13 n the drawing I ough a laminated brush .2 and carbon I contacts 22*. The breaker arms are held closed by means of latches 23 engaging the toggle 24, one of said latches being mounted on each of the handles 19 and 20. An overload coil-25 is provided preferably between the two arms, and a T-shaped element 26 pivoted at 27 is adapted to be attracted by the magnet, 24 so. that thelugs 27 strike the latches 23 a hammer-blow to release the arms, which are thereu on opened in response to the tension of t e sprin 21. The hammer element is furtherprovi ed with a guide 28 and the adjusting screw 29. As before stated, this general type of circuit breaker is well known in the art andis simly shown and described here for urptses of Pivotedto a brac et 30, between the circuit breaker-and the rheostatic contacts is a forked or Y-shaped element, the arms 31 of which are arranged to engage the latches 23 so as to tri the same amanner similar to that of t e hammer arm 26. This forked element is provided with a rojection 32 which extends into the path 0 the rheostatic controller arm. This arm is provided with a finger 33 which is extended outward so as to engage the projection 32 as it moves towards starting position. The finger is yieldingly held against a sto 33 by means of a spring 34, and the end 0 the finger is beveled so that as it moves to the oil position in response .to its spring on the arm, it will engage the pro'ection 32, and as the latter rides over they ger it will be raised therebyengaging the-latches 23to trip the breaker. As the arm is moved in the opposite direction, that is towards the magnet 16, .the finger will engage the projection but the spring 34 will allow the finger to pass without tri mg the breaker. e operation of my; device will "be clear shown in Fig. 3.

from the above description takenin connection with the diagram of the connections The ma et 16 is shown connected across the line, a though of course it-may be connected in the shunt field circuit or in an other desired manner. The overload coi 25 is in series with the'armature A and the controlling arm 13. To start the motor, the circuit-breaker is closed by means of the arms 19 and 20, and the controlling arm 13 is moved to runnin position, in which it is held by means of t eamalgpet .16. Upon failure of voltage, the arm w' fiy to the off position and as it does so, the finger 33-will engage the projection 32 and trip the circuit-breaker thereby opening the arma ture circuit at "the carbon contacts 22'instead I of on the contact segments.

I have shown the circuit-breaker as arranged midway between the starting and running positions of the controlling arm but this position ma be varied as may also the construction of t e switch or circuitebreaker. The construction of the rheos'tat and other features of my device ma also be modified [without departing from t e spirit of my invention, the S00 e of which claims annexed is set forth in the ereto.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is,

' 1. The combination with a starting rheostat having a spring-returned arm and a novoltage magnet for retaining the same in v running position, of an automatic switch in 35 circuit with and operated independently of said arm, and means whereby said switch is automatically opened during the movement of the arm to starting position.

2. The combination with a starting rheostat having a spring-returned arm and 'a novoltage magnet for retaining the same in running p ositionyof an automatic switch in series with and operated independently of said arm, and means whereby said switch is opened by the arm during the return of the latter to starting position.

3. The combination with a starting rheostat having a controlling arm biased to' an off position and a no-voltage magnet for retainmg thesame in running position, of an automatic circuit-breaker in series with said arm,

and means whereby it is tripped by said arm as the latter returns to startmg position. 4. The combination with a startin rheostat having a spring-returned arm an a novoltage magnet for retaining the same in running position, of. an automatic magnetic circuit breaker in series with the arm, and

means whereby it is tripped by thearm during the return of the latter to starting position.

5. The combination with a rheostat pro-- vided with automatic no-voltage release features, of an automatic overload circuit breaker arranged to be tripped as the controlling element of the rheostatmoves towards starting position.

6, The combination with a rheostat' rovided with automatic no-volta e release eatures, of an automatic over oad circuitbreaker having a releasing element'arranged in the path of the rheostatic controlling element so as to trip the circuit-breakeras-the element moves to starting position, v and means whereby the element passes the breaker without tripping the same as it moves toward running position.

7. The combination with a'startin i rheov ARTHUR SMITH.

Witnesses:

BENJAMIN B. HULL, HELEN ORFORD.

for engaging the I 

